Signs of end to gridlock in Washington?

Published: Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 12, 2013 at 3:52 p.m.

Can it be that Washington politicians are finally softening their entrenched positions to take the kind of cooperative action the majority of Americans favor? It’s too early to tell, but recent movement on guns and immigration give a faint glimmer of hope.

On Thursday, the Senate voted 68-31 to open debate on President Barack Obama’s proposals to expand background checks for gun buyers, tighten restrictions on gun trafficking and increase funding for school security, Reuters reported.

Although the eventual outcome is uncertain, at least the Senate will debate the idea of expanded background checks favored by at least 85 percent of Americans.

In both the House and Senate, bipartisan groups of lawmakers are working on long overdue immigration reform bills. Political observers say immigration reform has a better chance of passing than new gun control legislation. The reason: movement among Republicans.

According to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 73 percent of Republicans surveyed say they would support a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally if they are required to pay fines and back taxes and pass security background checks. Without the requirement for fines and security checks, 51 percent of Republicans oppose “path to citizenship” legislation while 47 percent support it, the poll found.

On the other hand, 71 percent of GOP respondents to the poll oppose stricter gun-control laws, including presumably the compromise measure worked out last week by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Republican Sen. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania.

The compromise would expand background checks for gun shows and online sales but would exempt sales between family members. It comes after Republicans threatened a filibuster against bringing gun legislation to the Senate floor for a vote — a move that would have provided political cover for Democrats who would be inclined to vote against expanding background checks.

Whether you are among the majority who favor expanded background checks for firearm purchases or the minority who oppose them, it’s pretty clear that filibustering the bill would have been a raw deal for Republicans and for the nation as a whole. New laws on hot-button issues such as gun control deserve a thorough and open debate in Congress so voters can know where lawmakers really stand when talk gives way to action.

The same is true of federal immigration reform. For more than a decade, it has been glaringly apparent that the system we have is broken. Borders remain porous despite millions of dollars spent on enforcement. Leaders in agriculture, in Henderson County and across the nation, complain that lack of immigration reform at the federal level combined with a patchwork of state laws cracking down on illegal immigrants are contributing to shortages of farm labor.

The legislation now taking shape in the Senate comes in response to calls for a direct path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. The bill allows a period of 10 years for the Department of Homeland Security to fortify enforcement while providing “one clear, if difficult” path to citizenship, The New York Times says.

In contrast, the House is working on its own version of immigration reform that could provide three distinct paths. Young immigrants in the country without legal papers and low-skilled agricultural workers would qualify for an expedited road to legal status under the House plan.

In both gun control and immigration, two obvious factors are playing into these incremental moves away from the gridlock. Republicans, chastened by their losses in last year’s election, are finally realizing they cannot remain a viable party without increasing their appeal to minorities, specifically Latino voters. And after President Obama won a second term, it was no longer politically expedient for the Republican Party to spend energy trying to thwart any moves supported by the administration.

No doubt there will be plenty of stalemates to come.

But the movement we see taking shape in Washington offers Americans a glimpse of something they haven’t seen in a long time — a functional government.

<p>Can it be that Washington politicians are finally softening their entrenched positions to take the kind of cooperative action the majority of Americans favor? It’s too early to tell, but recent movement on guns and immigration give a faint glimmer of hope.</p><p>On Thursday, the Senate voted 68-31 to open debate on President Barack Obama’s proposals to expand background checks for gun buyers, tighten restrictions on gun trafficking and increase funding for school security, Reuters reported.</p><p>Although the eventual outcome is uncertain, at least the Senate will debate the idea of expanded background checks favored by at least 85 percent of Americans.</p><p>In both the House and Senate, bipartisan groups of lawmakers are working on long overdue immigration reform bills. Political observers say immigration reform has a better chance of passing than new gun control legislation. The reason: movement among Republicans.</p><p>According to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 73 percent of Republicans surveyed say they would support a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally if they are required to pay fines and back taxes and pass security background checks. Without the requirement for fines and security checks, 51 percent of Republicans oppose path to citizenship legislation while 47 percent support it, the poll found.</p><p>On the other hand, 71 percent of GOP respondents to the poll oppose stricter gun-control laws, including presumably the compromise measure worked out last week by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Republican Sen. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania.</p><p>The compromise would expand background checks for gun shows and online sales but would exempt sales between family members. It comes after Republicans threatened a filibuster against bringing gun legislation to the Senate floor for a vote  a move that would have provided political cover for Democrats who would be inclined to vote against expanding background checks.</p><p>Whether you are among the majority who favor expanded background checks for firearm purchases or the minority who oppose them, it’s pretty clear that filibustering the bill would have been a raw deal for Republicans and for the nation as a whole. New laws on hot-button issues such as gun control deserve a thorough and open debate in Congress so voters can know where lawmakers really stand when talk gives way to action.</p><p>The same is true of federal immigration reform. For more than a decade, it has been glaringly apparent that the system we have is broken. Borders remain porous despite millions of dollars spent on enforcement. Leaders in agriculture, in Henderson County and across the nation, complain that lack of immigration reform at the federal level combined with a patchwork of state laws cracking down on illegal immigrants are contributing to shortages of farm labor.</p><p>The legislation now taking shape in the Senate comes in response to calls for a direct path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. The bill allows a period of 10 years for the Department of Homeland Security to fortify enforcement while providing one clear, if difficult path to citizenship, The New York Times says.</p><p>In contrast, the House is working on its own version of immigration reform that could provide three distinct paths. Young immigrants in the country without legal papers and low-skilled agricultural workers would qualify for an expedited road to legal status under the House plan.</p><p>In both gun control and immigration, two obvious factors are playing into these incremental moves away from the gridlock. Republicans, chastened by their losses in last year’s election, are finally realizing they cannot remain a viable party without increasing their appeal to minorities, specifically Latino voters. And after President Obama won a second term, it was no longer politically expedient for the Republican Party to spend energy trying to thwart any moves supported by the administration.</p><p>No doubt there will be plenty of stalemates to come.</p><p>But the movement we see taking shape in Washington offers Americans a glimpse of something they haven’t seen in a long time  a functional government.</p>